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Brandon Heat
Brandon Heat (Beyond the Grave) is the series' main character. Protecting Harry causes Millennion to label him as a traitor, because Harry is a wanted man to the organization. He is supposed to be executed for that due to Millennion's Code of Iron, but thanks to Mika's intervention, he is saved, although scorned by most people in Millennion. However, after willingly letting Biscoe and Norton punish him as a traitor, Brandon is pardoned and continues living as Mika's parental figure. In a scene from The Will to Live, which takes place right after Betray Me Not, it is revealed that Mika's love gives him the spirit to continue living again. Personality Brandon is meek, gentle, and loyal. He tends to let his actions speak for him. However, being very loyal, especially to Millennion and Mika, he'll do anything to protect them. If he has to hurt, extort, or even kill civilians to protect them, he'll do it. This causes him to come across as a cold person, although deep down, he is a warm-hearted guy. His gentleness is especially apparent whenever he's with Mika. He also sees taking care of Mika as his responsibility, and he is frequently seen going grocery shopping and cleaning the trailer for her. Despite his stoic nature, when a certain button is pushed, Brandon can show emotions and go completely out of control. Calling him a traitor can either anger him or cause him to break down, depending on who he's facing. Threatening or harming his friends and/or family, especially Mika, is a surefire way to incur his wrath. Brandon has a sense of fairness and is also an 'eye for an eye' type of person. Having betrayed Millennion prior to the first sub-series, he willingly lets himself take the proper retribution in Betray Me Not. His modus operandi as a loan shark involves stealing the clients' belongings if they can't pay up, beating the clients if they fight back, and ultimately, killing the clients if they kill his fellow loan shark. Being selfless and protective, Brandon tends to shoulders others' burden for them and/or put himself in harm's way. He especially shows this nature to the people he loves, such as Mika and everybody in Millennion. He also possesses a knight in shining armor persona, albeita morally-ambiguous one. When he sees a random damsel in distress, he'll jump in to help her. And he never expects anything in return after helping people. Whenever Brandon is sick or unhealthy, he tends to be more sensitive and can 'retreat to his shell' when offended. Synopsis Pre-Gungrave: Aftermath Refer to the original Gungrave wiki page for Brandon Heat and Beyond the Grave. Betray Me Not Series Brandon's attempt to commit a mutually-assisted suicide with Harry is foiled by Harry's/Brandon's old gun turning out to be empty, unbeknownst to both of them. At this, along with Biscoe's agents stopping their fire on him, Brandon thinks Millennion wants to punish him for his act of protecting Harry (read: betrayal to Millennion). However, things get worse when he hears Mika calling out for him, as he feels terribly sorry for what he has done while he lacks the ability to beg for forgiveness. Brandon decides to take a nap to avoid any hazards to his psyche. After dreaming about his first meeting with Harry, he wakes up, only to be hurt more deeply by Mika's "Welcome back." Groggy and unsure what to do, he only stares vacantly ahead until Mika suggests him to sleep. However, Brandon doesn't sleep well despite having had his wounds treated and given a massive transfusion. Dreams of his kindness towards Mika haunt him, which he later considers as pieces of a puzzle to help him resolve his conflict. When he wakes up for the first time, he manages to sleep again. When he wakes up for the second time, William believes that the lights bother Brandon, so he switches them off. But before Brandon manages to resume his sleep, Mika comes. Brandon initially tries to keep everything in his mind out of insecurity, but after Mika hits the right button by asking if he has betrayed her and Millennion, he finally cries and tells the truth. Noticing Mika's gentleness to him, he asks her why she still insists on loving him despite what he has done. Mika simply tells him that he is her family, and she will always love him. Brandon initially refuses the love, but Mika's faith in him makes him accept it. With that, Brandon figures out what his dreams mean: he has once been kind to Mika and he is now reaping what he has sown. And he is finally able to sleep soundly. Unfortunately, Biscoe and Norton later come and jar him out of his sleep. Biscoe shouts into his ears, waking him up. But as Biscoe speaks, Brandon looks around in search of Mika, impressing the two Millennion higher-ups with his concern towards the future boss of the organization. Biscoe then decides to assign him to a task the next day, which he gladly accepts. However, Norton chooses to confront him, likely because he thinks Brandon deserves more pain. After asking what Mika is to Brandon, he points out that Brandon is not supposed to betray his family, which hurts Brandon deeply. As Brandon looks down and sheds tears, Norton screams at him and commands him to look up. This annoys Biscoe, who ends up scolding Norton. Mika soon comes back and notices Brandon's sorrow. At first, she thinks he is worried about her, but she then figures out what may have happened: Biscoe and Norton may have hurt him. She yells at Biscoe and Norton for their terrible attitude, but Brandon chooses not to prolong the conflict by telling her that Biscoe and Norton have not done anything bad to him. Once Biscoe and Norton leave, Mika confronts Brandon for the truth. Brandon initially does not want to say anything (likely because he is afraid of Mika seeking revenge on Biscoe and Norton) and only forces a smile, but after some persuasions, he decides to let it all out. This only annoys Mika, who vows to find Biscoe and Norton to raise hell. But Brandon quickly reasons with her, explaining how important Biscoe and Norton are in keeping him alive. He points out that without them, Mika will never have the ability to save his life. This teaches Mika to be more respectful to Biscoe and Norton. After the talk, Mika brings Brandon some of Dr. Tokioka's books so that he will not feel bored as she tries to mend his clothes. Unfortunately, Brandon is unable to understand anything about forensics, but he just keeps silent and pretends to read the books. When Mika is done mending his pants, Brandon gives her a thumbs-up as a sign of appreciation. Mika then admits how she is afraid of Brandon disliking her work, but he simply tells her that he appreciates intentions and efforts more than the results. This leads to Mika admitting that she does this to make him less depressed and how she thinks that Brandon is always sad despite smiling. Brandon tells Mika that her mother, Maria, often says the same thing. This sparks Mika to try to pry more information from him, with hopes that she will finally be able to bring out a genuine smile from him. However, before Mika manages to do anything, Biscoe comes to tell Brandon about his task tomorrow. Brandon gladly accepts the task. Later, Mika applies what she has learnt from Brandon and apologizes to Biscoe, which leads to Biscoe bringing her out of the trailer for a private conversation. When Mika returns from the private conversation, Brandon notices the troubled look on her face. Mika admits how much she wants to tell Brandon what Biscoe has just told her, but Brandon simply tells her not to leak the secret. He also tells her that if she does so, she is betraying Biscoe. He then adds, "Remember? Betrayal is bad. It hurts someone for a lifetime." After that, Mika decides to keep the secret and continue mending Brandon's clothes. The next day, Biscoe has William outfit Brandon with a prosthetic leg. However, because Brandon's surgical wound is still in stitches, it causes some discomfort to him, in addition to the inappropriate length (too short) and size (too tight). Trying to atone for his betrayal, though, Brandon keeps silent about the problems and tries walking, only to fall and (likely) rip the stitches. Mika calls to him out of concern, pleading him to tell her what is wrong so that she, William, and Biscoe can discuss and resolve the matter. Fearing that he will lose his chance to prove his loyalty to Millennion, Brandon angrily insists that he is fine. Biscoe then thinks of bringing Mika to work, which annoys him until the mob boss says that he will bring along more guards to the location. In the car, Biscoe reveals that Brandon's job is to eliminate Harry's remaining goons so that they will never bother Biscoe's Millennion. Remembering Harry, his best friend, Brandon finds himself in a dilemma: who must he side with? Thankfully, Mika's faith in him snaps him out of it and encourages him to fight for Millennion, not Harry. At the target's location, Brandon struggles to reach the target's HQ with his defective prosthetic leg and unhealed damage (various wounds and notably, a stiff chest wall) from yesterday. Although he is running out of breath upon reaching the entrance, his resolve to protect Mika gives him strength to press on. He kicks the door down and is greeted by one of Harry's goons. A gunfight ensues, with Brandon easily taking out all of the goons around. However, one of them launches a surprise attack on Brandon and disarms him with a D-Point. The goon approaches him and pushes the D-Point against Brandon's head, telling him that he may end up sparing Brandon if he answers his question. The goon begins talking about Harry and asks if Brandon wants to fight for the deceased man again. At first, Brandon almost agrees, but thanks to the patch on his mended pants, he remembers Mika. Resolving to never fight for Harry again, Brandon rejects the goon's offer. However, the goon immediately chides Brandon for being disloyal to Harry and makes fun of him. Enraged, Brandon screams and snatches the D-Point and riddles the goon with bullets until the gun runs out of ammo. Then he throws the gun at the goon, saying that he is never a false friend to Harry; instead, he only has a family to protect. Adrenaline fading, Brandon collapses and tearfully apologizes to Harry for the choice he has made. After some moment of recess, Brandon leaves the HQ. Still not used to walking with a prosthetic leg and having a stiff chest wall, he soon collapses and is unable to get up. All Millennion guardsmen, thinking that he is just a convict, only stands in silence and watches him as he struggles to get up. Mika notices this and rushes to help him, which also draws the guards' attention as she is supposed to stay in the car for safety. However, Mika uses this opportunity to force the guards to help Brandon. Inside the car, Brandon's residual leg keeps discharging putrid odor, hinting that his reopened wound is infected. However, nobody complains; Biscoe and his driver simply leaves the car windows open all the way back to Millennion Tower. Back at the trailer, William checks Brandon and finds out that the reopened wound is badly infected; the flesh around it has gone black. After treating it, William calls Biscoe and demands the mob boss to visit the trailer. Soon, Biscoe comes with Norton and Mika. William asks Mika to stay with Brandon before proceeding to scold Biscoe and Norton. Their quarrel draws Mika's attention, but Brandon puts a hand on Mika's head, silently telling her not to interfere. Later, when William reveals to Biscoe and Norton that Brandon almost has his residual leg further amputated due to infection, Biscoe decides to end everything by talking to Brandon. Biscoe asks if Brandon resents Millennion for mistreating him, but Brandon simply admits that he lets the higher-ups commit such a cruelty to instill fear in their underlings' hearts. It is so that nobody dares to betray Biscoe and Norton. Touched by Brandon's sincerity, Biscoe tearfully apologizes to Brandon and decides to let him rest until he recovers. Thinking that he probably does not deserve such a gift, Brandon is baffled. But Mika successfully convinces him to accept the day off, because Biscoe is giving it as a sign of apology. After everybody leaves, Brandon and Mika remain in the trailer. Brandon asks Mika if he is doing the right thing: betraying Harry for Millennion. Although Mika almost blurts out how Brandon deserves a better friend than Harry, she decides to say that Brandon is the greatest friend one can ever have in the world, because he still finds it difficult to betray a deceased friend. Realizing how loyal he is as a man, Brandon finally lets out a genuine smile and resolves to never betray Millennion again. Rehabilitation Series Using the defective prosthetic leg, Brandon frequently roams around the parking basement and the lobby of Millennion Tower. It is to keep his body healthy as he prepares himself for the physiotherapy. Lost Leg Brandon leaves the trailer as part of his household chores: throwing away rubbish and taking the newspaper from the lobby. However, the defective prosthetic leg causes a fall as he steps off the trailer's ledge. He mentally scolds the prosthesis, but he also admits how much he has grown fond of it. Without the prosthetic leg, even if it is defective, he may not have the chance to do physical exercises. Brandon continues his journey to the big trash can at the basement, only to be disappointed by the mess the basement guards have caused. After throwing away his own rubbish, he leaves the mess, knowing that cleaning it up will only resolve the matter temporarily. Due to the prosthesis being defective, Brandon grows tired as he reaches the elevator. He decides to sit on the bench beside the lift. There, he is not happy when he finds no guards around. Soon, the phantom sensation suddenly haunts him again. However, he is able to get rid of it by rubbing the synthetic foot. Then, he muses how the phantom sensation has been less severe recently, and he believes it is because of him accepting the prosthesis as part of his body. Soon, Daniel comes and apologizes to Brandon for not staying at where he is supposed to be: the parking basement. Then, Daniel proceeds to tell Brandon that with a necrolyzer like him, people actually will not dare to mess around the basement. Brandon is amused just slightly because he knows his disadvantage in a combat. But then, Brandon is a little annoyed when Daniel offers him his newspaper, so that Brandon does not need to go to the lobby. Without saying anything, he leaves. Powers and Abilities Supernatural Physical Strength: '''Being a necrolyzer, Brandon possesses monstrous strength. He can easily kick a door down, rip a steel door off and use it as a shield, and even push down a traffic light with a hand. Brandon also doesn't need much effort to break a human's bones. '''Supernatural Durability: '''Brandon is immune to regular bullets, and his body is capable of smashing most objects thrown at him (e.g. a wooden chair) and destroy a truck that hits him. He can also resist orgmen's or other necrolyzed beings' attacks very well. '''Supernatural Endurance: '''Brandon can continue fighting despite the serious injuries he sustains, such as forcing himself to fight while he is still wheelchair-bound or bleeding heavily. This is driven by his desire to protect Millennion, especially Mika. '''Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: '''Having grown up in the streets, Brandon is highly capable of fighting bare-handed, be it simply overwhelming his foe with brute force or hitting them in their weak points. Due to the loss of his arm and leg, he has also learned to utilize his teeth and head in combat. '''Legendary Marksmanship: '''Years of working as Millennion's hitman has granted Brandon the ability to shoot accurately. Often, he does not need to look around to take a foe out with a bullet. '''Lesser Regeneration: '''Due to not having his renewal therapy for a long time after Dr. Tokioka's death, Brandon's regenerative capabilities take a hit and are stunted. However, Brandon can still recover faster than a regular human does. His regeneration also rises dramatically with the help of refined serum. '''High Intellect: While not particularly intelligent when compared to many others due to the lack of proper education and the tendency to use brawn over brain, Brandon is highly capable of deducing. This makes him a formidable tracker when the situation calls for it. Also, Brandon is a fast learner. Enhanced Hearing: Being half-blind and having no sense of smell and taste, Brandon relies mostly on his hearing to detect danger and an enemy's presence. This also contributes to his ability to gun down a foe without looking. Gut Feeling: '''Brandon is capable of detecting something wrong nearby or in the near future. This also contributes to his ability to gun down a foe without looking. '''Cold Resistance: Being a reanimated corpse, Brandon is immune to cold weather. Due to the low temperature inhibiting the microbial growth in his flesh, he lasts longer and is more active during winter. Weaknesses Decomposition: Like all other necrolyzed beings, Brandon needs a renewal therapy regularly to survive. Otherwise, his body will undergo the stages of death and decay to nothingness. Being at the risk of decomposing, Brandon also can't last long in hot and humid weather, which causes excessive sweating and can accelerate the microbial growth in his flesh. Dirty environment, too, can accelerate the decomposition. Missing Right Leg: Brandon's loss of leg severely reduces his agility. Because his prosthetic leg is never as strong as his body, it also becomes his weak point. Once it is destroyed, Brandon can no longer walk. Missing Left Arm: Brandon's loss of arm hinders Brandon from delivering quick blows. This also prevents him from lifting large objects despite his monstrous strength. Half Blind: '''Having no left visual field due to the lost of his left eye, Brandon cannot see anything from his left side. A foe who is quiet enough to avoid his enhanced hearing can surprise him from his left side. '''No Sense of Smell and Taste: Being a necrolyzer, Brandon cannot smell or taste anything. He cannot detect the presence of any toxic gas. Relationships Harry MacDowell Harry is Brandon's childhood friend, who later grows up in a gang of street thugs with Brandon and works together with him in Millennion. This is why Brandon is very loyal to Harry and chooses to protect him and betray Millennion, despite having been murdered by him. However, Brandon finally decides to let go of Harry and betray him by refusing to continue his dream and killing his remaining goons, because Harry is already dead and Brandon has found a family to protect. However, his momentary doubt when he has to choose between Harry or Mika (and Millennion) hints that his loyalty towards Harry is still incredible. Mika Asagi Because Mika is the child of Big Daddy, the man he respected a lot, and Maria, the woman he once fell in love with, Brandon acts as her parental figure and gladly provides her the guidance and love she'll never get from her parents anymore. However, what touches him the most is that Mika loves him so much that even after he's labeled as a traitor, she still forgives him, does her best to make him feel less depressed, and tries to protect him from being oppressed by Biscoe and Norton. Brandon is highly protective of Mika. Biscoe Brandon highly respects Biscoe and is willing to give his all to help him, because Biscoe has saved his life for Mika, provides everything he and Mika need to live on, and is also Millennion's new boss. This is also why Biscoe soon decides to pardon him. Norton Although Norton scorns Brandon due to his history as a traitor, Brandon shows no ill-will towards Norton. He respects him because he is Biscoe's second-in-command. Dr. William Rutherford Having been relying on William's knowledge to survive, Brandon respects William and listens to all his suggestions. However, he sometimes disregards William's suggestions when he sees it fit, especially when they prevent him from protecting his loved ones. Equipments First Temporary Prosthetic Leg To replace his right leg, which is shot off by Millennion agents when he protects Harry, Brandon gains an artificial leg. However, he receives it without undergoing prosthetic fitting process, which causes him various discomfort. The artificial leg is short and tight and lacks a movable knee joint, and this tires him very quickly and can cause falls. After the conflict in Betray Me Not '''is resolved, Brandon uses this for some physical exercises as he tries to cope with the phantom sensation coming from his lost limbs. This also keeps Brandon healthy by preventing pressure sores, which are likely to develop if he remains immobile on his armchair all the time. This prosthetic leg is finally broken in '''Lost Leg, much to Brandon's distress not only because it gives him the chance to walk as he prepares his body for the physiotherapy, but also how much he has grown to love the prosthesis to the point he considers it as part of his body. Proper Prosthetic Leg Unlike the first temporary prosthetic leg, this has a movable knee joint and is more suitable for Brandon. Brandon depends on this to do various works. One-Handed Control Wheelchair Brandon utilizes this whenever he needs to retire his prosthetic leg at night. It helps keep his residual leg clean and healthy. The wheelchair has a lever for steering the direction. Cerberus Brandon's iconic pair of magnums, which consists of Right Head (Red Cross) and Left Head (White Cross). They make a return at the series: Guardian of a Lifetime. 'Bonehacker' First appears in Twisted Death. The Bonehacker is a huge axe made of the bones of necrolyzed beings and reinforced with alloy. It can easily hack through a swarm of necrolyzed beings. Black Greatcoat Brandon's outfit whenever he wants to go out. Due to its size, it also works as Mika's blanket. Brandon can also share it with Mika. Trivia * Brandon is no longer called 'Beyond the Grave' by Mika in episode 25 of the anime, so the whole series calls him Brandon although he has become a necrolyzer. * Brandon's birthday is 18th July 19635 in this series, with the epitaph on his graveyard (as seen in episode 15 of the anime) considered to be an error caused by the informant to the stonemason. This makes him a Cancer in astrology and twenty-six in his death. * At around the middle of episode 26, there is a brief shot in which Brandon fiddles with his old gun. When he pulls the trigger, it only results in a click. Said gun becomes Harry's gun as he and Brandon attempt a mutually-assisted suicide as the anime ends. * Brandon is described to have big, sharp teeth throughout the series, which is based on episode 18 (or 1) and a few arts from the artbook. Category:Characters